Pipe-thread protector.



M. L. MOORE.

PIPE THREAD PROTECTOR.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT. 24. 1915.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

ENESES 9- Q KW n era an anion.

MARTIN L. MOORE, OF GLEN OSBORNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FRICK & LIND- SAY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- PIPE-THREAD PROTECTOR.

Patented J an. 9, 1911?.

Application filed September 24, 1915. Serial No. 52,407.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN L. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Glen Osborne, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pipe- Thread Protectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to annular rings used for the purpose of protecting the threaded ends of pipe, rods, or any article whose ends are threaded, said threads being liable to damage while in shipment, etc., but more particularly relates to pipe, tubing, etc., used in conducting water, steam, oil and gas, or in the casing of oil, gas and water wells. Much of this material is used in the open country remote from railroad transportation, necessitating haulage by wagons, and thus subject to probable damage at the threads by such handling.

The invention has for its object, therefore, the provision of a device which may be fitted upon the threaded ends of the pipe, tubing or rods, as the case may be, and which would adequately protect the threads, and which at the same time will be strong enough to resist sharp blows as would result when this material is thrown from freight car, truck or wagon or the like when in the process of unloading.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be made substantially of sheet metal, the production of which is therefore economical,and, at the same time, to so shape the device that it will impart suflicient strength for resisting all blows or rough handling to which the pipe may be subjected, and to be strong enough to maintain the true circle of the pipe as it leaves the mill after inspection.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and arrangemerit of parts, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shaped blank from which the device is to be constructed; Fig. 2 is a like view of the blank rolled in a circular or annular form; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the joiner-plate by which the ends of the annular device may be secured together at the proper pitch of thread; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the operative position of the adjacent ends of the device; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, showing the joiner-plate in position on the device; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the device at the joint thereof, and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of a modified form of the device.

In the embodiment of the invention herein selected for illustration, the blank 1 may be rolled from sheet material of the form shown, and having the thread portions 2, an outer end portion 3, (which is adapted to overlap the end of the pipe as hereinafter described), an inner end portion 4, (which is adapted to extend beyond the threaded portion of the pipe and overlap the unthreaded portion thereof). It will be noted,

those portions of the material adjacent to the threads 2 are curved as at 5, 6 and 7. forming in effect arches whose bases are the threads.

Referring now to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the threads 2- rest within the threads of the pipe end, and the'arched portions 5,

-6 and 7 extend cleanly away from the threads of the pipe in which the threads 2 rest, leaving the intermediate threads entirely free of the device. Moreover, these curved portions being in the form of arches, whose. bases are the threads which engage the threads of the pipe, serve greatly to strengthenthe device and protect the same against being pressed in against the threads of the pipe, and also greatly strengthen the protector against being bent out of its true circle, thereby protecting the pipe from being bent out of its true circle, which, if this should occur, would make it impossible to connect it with other pieces of pipe of the same character. It will be seen that the end portion 3 is bent to effectively overlap the threaded end of the pipe and to protect the end of the pipe from blows'in any direction, and theopposite end portion or apron 4 overlies the last thread adjacent the unthreaded portion of the pipe and is provided with the inturned portion 8 to rest against the unthreaded portion of the pipe and protect the adjacent threads against contact with the device.

It will be seen from inspection of Fig. 4 that when the blank'is rolled into annular plate applied to these offset ends.

1 parts without form the ends are slightly offset, or the device is rolled somewhat in spiral form to cause the straight threads 2 to fit the pitch of the thread upon which it is used. Thedevice may be adjusted to fit the pitch of any thread by varying the degree of the 0dset of the ends.

In order that the device may be held permanently set in its predetermined spiral or offset position, I provide a joint-plate 9, having arches 10 and 11 respectively, corresponding to those of the protector, but offset from each other as at 12 in a manner, and to the extent necessary to fit the pitch of the threads on which the device is to be used. This plate 9 may be secured across the ends of the protector device with the offset arches at each end snugly embracing the arches at the ends of the protector, thus holding said ends properly offset to fit the threads determined by the degree of offset of the adjoining device. ends of the protector offset and before the joiner-plate is applied. Fig.6 shows lt he he joiner-plate may be secured in place either by spot-welding or riveting, or otherwise as the case may be.

In Fig. '7, I have shown a slight modification of the thread protector in which the device is formed from a roller blank having the threads 13 extending inwardly from the flat portions 14, and adjacent these flat portions, the blank is arched as at 15, andis provided with the overlapping lip 16 for overlapping the end of the pipe, and the apron 17 for overlying the unthreaded portion of the pipe. This device must be formed from a blank rolled for the purpose from a strip of metal or other materiaL- In order to producethreads 13, however, it will be noticed that'these threads do not form directly the bases for the arches, but project beyond the surface of the flat portion 14. However, in this form of the device the arches 15- still serve .to resist the pressing in of the device,'and moreover, the threads immediately below the arched portions,

which ordinarily would receive the blow, are entirely free of the device. Therefore, the threads of the pipe are not liable to abrasion or injury by a blow upon the protector itself.

l/Vhile I have herein described and shown particular embodiments ofmy-invention, it is understood that the samemay be altered in the construction and thearrangement of departing from the scope thereof. '5

What 1 claim is:

1. A thread protector consisting of a thin,

Fig. 4 shows the.

amar? curved plate or annulus having a plurality of annular arches whose bases form the continuous threads which engage the threads on the article to be protected.

2. A thread protector consisting of a thin, curved plate or annulus having a plurality of arches; continuous threads at the bases of said arches, the outer arch being adapted to overlap the end of the pipe, and the inner end being adapted to overlap the unthreaded portion of the pipe.

3. A thread protector consisting of a thin curved plate or annulus having a plurality of annular continuous threads and having a plurality of annular arches springing directly from said threads as their bases, whereby said protector is supported upon the threaded pipe end only by the means of said threads resting between the threads of. the pipe end, the intermediate threaded portions of the pipe end being entirely free of the device, and being protected against abrasion by the strength of the arched form of the device, whose bases are the threads which engage the threaded end of the article protected.

1. A thread protector consisting of a thin, curved plate or annulus having a plurality of continuous threads and a plurality of annular arches whose bases are the threads which engage the threaded portion of the article protected; and a joiner-plate for the ends of said device, having at its ends offset arches adapted to those on the annular device or protector, adapted when the joinerplate is applied to the device to hold the ends of the device in a predetermined offset position whereby it is made to suit the pitch of the thread upon the end of the article to which the protector is applied for the purpose of protecting its thread.

5. A thread protector consisting of a thin, curved plate or annulus having a plurality of annular continuous threads and having a plurality of annulanarches springing directly from said threads as their bases, whereby said protector is supported upon the threaded pipe, and whereby said bases are fixed and immovable by their being inserted into the thread of the pipe, and whereby, due to the fact of their being inserted and immovable, a considerable strength is added to the arch, increasing its efficiency in resisting a blow which would tend to crush it.- V

In testimony whereof,-I, the said MARTIN L. Moomiahave hereunto set my hand.

' MARTIN L. MOORE.

\Vitnesses:

W. E. FRICK, THOS. J. LANDIS. 

